CAB leaves airlines’ fuel surcharges unchanged for July

Airline passengers will be paying the same fuel surcharge—the lowest that has been implemented so far this year—in July, according to the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB).

The regulator, in its recent advisory, kept the fuel surcharge at Level 4 for the second straight month. Prior to this, CAB had brought down the rates three times amid lower fuel prices.

Next month, passengers will still pay an additional P117 to P342 for domestic flights and P385.70 to P2,867.82 for flights abroad under Level 4.

Fuel surcharges are additional fees by airlines to help them recover fuel costs. These are separate from the base fare, which is the actual amount paid by the passenger for his or her seat.

Under Level 4, passengers going to Caticlan, Legaspi, Kalibo and Roxas are charged additional P184 while those flying to Laoag, Iloilo, Bacolod, Cebu and Puerto Princesa are paying P232 in fuel surcharge.

Airlines are collecting fuel surcharge of P296 for flights to Dumaguete, Tagbilaran, Siargao and Cagayan and P318 for flights to Zamboanga, Cotabato and Davao.

The applicable fuel surcharge for flights to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Cambodia will be P385.70; China, P523.68; and Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, P533.42.

Those flying to Indonesia, Japan and South Korea will pay fuel surcharge amounting to P600; Australia and Middle Eas, P1,327.14; and North America and the United Kingdom, P2,731.26.

The carriers previously welcomed the lowering of fuel surcharge as it was seen to further boost passenger movement.

Local airlines have been offering seat sales and ramping up their flight capacities as well amid the resurgence of travel following the easing of mobility restrictions.

Philippine Airlines (PAL), for instance, is mounting more non-stop special flights to Medina in Western Saudi Arabia for Filipinos participating in the Hajj pilgrimage this month.

The flag carrier is using its 363-seater Airbus A330 for this route.

“We in [PAL] recognize the importance of the Hajj to our Muslim brothers and sisters here in the Philippines. As the country’s flag carrier, we support this mission,” said PAL president and chief operating officer Stanley Ng. INQ